Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the city's first wireless demonstration project and also lit the city's first two downtown hot spots at an event today outside the entrance to Quincy Market. The pilot project will cover a full square mile in the Grove Hall/Dudley Square neighborhood.

Construction is expected to begin later this year. The hot spots -- one covering the Faneuil Hall/City Hall Plaza area and the other covering the Columbus Park/Long Wharf area -- will allow anyone with a wireless-enabled computer or other device to access high-speed Internet service.

After a short opening ceremony with community leaders and representatives of several companies donating equipment, students from TechBoston Academy helped elementary school children from Grove Hall's Trotter Elementary School access the Internet via the hot spot connections. The children experimented with various Internet-based educational tools, such as downloading historical information about Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market.
KW